Posts by Yong Joo Park:
No Obligation to the Flesh: Living as Children of God
Romans 8:10–14 NLT
10 And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. 11 The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.
12 Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. 13 For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.
Message
I. The Spirit’s Control as the Mark of True Believers (Romans 8:1-9)
Let us recap what we studied last week:
Through Christ’s sacrifice, God fulfilled the law’s righteous requirement by punishing sin on our behalf so that we could be forgiven, enabling us to follow the Holy Spirit. Those who are dominated by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. Letting the Spirit control our minds leads to life and peace. Being dominated by the sinful nature leads to sinful thoughts, followed by hostility toward God and death. (Romans 8:1-8 NLT)
If you have the Spirit of God living in you, you are not controlled by your sinful nature, but controlled by the Spirit. Those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all. (Romans 8:9 NLT)
II. The Indwelling Christ and the Spirit’s Life-Giving Power (10-11)
Today Paul continues after his above discussion. See verse 10.
10 And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God.
How do we know whether Christ lives within you or not? Based on Romans 8:9 NLT, it depends on whether you are not controlled by your sinful nature but by the Spirit or not.
You can know whether you are controlled by your sinful nature by looking at your having sinful thoughts, or hostility toward God (Romans 8:5-8 NLT).
Then, why our body will still die? It is because our sinful nature is still in our body as long as our body is alive. This fact is shown in Paul’s confession in Romans 7:14-24 NLT. Let us read Romans 7:24 NLT:
24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?
Because Christ lives within you, our spirit will live (10b) and our body also will be transformed and raised into a new heavenly body (1 Corinthians 15:51-53, 42-44 NLT, 10b).
See verse 11:
11 The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.
Amen.
III. Freedom From the Flesh and the Call to Put Sin to Death (12-13)
See verse 12:
12 Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do.
Sin’s urges can make us feel as if we are obligated to respond to them. So, Paul says that we have “no obligation” to do so. Verse 12 helps us not to sin. Further Paul warns in verse 13a:
13a For if you live by its dictates, you will die.
This verse reminds us of Galatians 6:7–8a NLT:
7 Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. 8a Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature.
What we must do instead is written in verse 13b:
13b But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live.
Galatians 6:8b NLT also says,
8b But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.
IV. Spirit-Led Living as the Evidence of God’s Children (14)
Paul encourages us in verse 14:
14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.
Amen.
No Condemnation, Life Through the Spirit
Romans 8:1-9 (NLT) 1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. 3 The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of […]
Released from the Law, Still Battling the Flesh
Romans 7:14-25 NLT 14 So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. 15 I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I […]
God’s Law Reveals Our Sin
How Sin Uses God’s Good Commandments for Evil Romans 7:7-13 NLT God’s Law Reveals Our Sin 7 Well then, am I suggesting that the law of God is sinful? Of course not! In fact, it was the law that showed me my sin. I would never have known that coveting is wrong if the law had […]
Serving God in the New Way of the Spirit
Romans 7:1-6 (NLT) 1 Now, dear brothers and sisters—you who are familiar with the law—don’t you know that the law applies only while a person is living? 2 For example, when a woman marries, the law binds her to her husband as long as he is alive. But if he dies, the laws of marriage no […]
From Slaves to Sin to Servants of God
Romans 6:19-23 NLT 19 Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will […]
Set Free to Serve Righteousness
Romans 6:12 – 18 (NLT) 12 Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. 13 Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use […]
Dead to Sin, Alive to God Through Christ
Romans 6:5-11 (NLT) 5 Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. 6 We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. 7 For when we died […]
United with Christ in His Death and New Life
Romans 6:1-4 NLT 1 Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? 2 Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? 3 Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, […]
Where Sin Increased, Grace Ruled
Romans 5:18-21 NLT 18 Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. 19 Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous. 20 God’s law was given so that all […]
